Google: H.264 Stifles Innovation
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 14th Jan 2011 22:33 UTC
Google I didn't plan on this, but there's really nothing I can do. Unless you want me to write about the upcoming ten billionth download from the iOS App Store, you'll have to settle for this. On the Chromium blog, Google has clarified its decision to drop H.264 support from the Chrome web browser, and in it, Google basically repeats the things that those concerned about the future of video on the web have been saying for a long time now: H.264 on the web kills innovation.
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RE: WebM open but not standard
by lemur2 on Sat 15th Jan 2011 02:42 UTC in reply to "WebM open but not standard"
lemur2
Member since:
2007-02-17

What Google REALLY needs to do is write it up and form a consortium around it and turn it over to ITU as a standard. WebM suffers form the fact that we techie-folk think it's a great idea, but industry and government already have a published standard that works for them. WebM is great, but it essentially has the backing of a single player that is on the outside of the industry. Youtube and Google are huge, but still comparatively small compared to the media companies and the vendors that support them.

Keep in mind that for those people, the cost of sticking with h.264 is MUCH lower than moving to WebM. The royalty fees for h.264 are a pittance (it's currently royalty free, but even when you did pay royalties).


In this context, a "standard" is simply a method for systems of different origins to inter-operate. Since WebM is a method that enables web sites and client browsers to inetroperate to present video, it is indeed a standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_%28software%29
A software standard is a standard, protocol, or other common format of a document, file, or data transfer accepted and used by one or more software developers while working on one or more than one software programs. Software standards enable interoperability between different programs created by different developers.


What you perhaps actually mean is that WebM is a standard that is not yet endorsed by any official independent standards body.

Well, if Apple had strenuously objected, perhaps by now WebM would be a standard endorsed by W3C.

Edited 2011-01-15 02:43 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 3

Lennie Member since:
2007-09-22

Standards body are pretty much irrelevant for this discussion, the world is much more pragmatic and technology driven. For example I don't think any government is or will be spending money on video.

Reply Parent Score: 2

Headrush Member since:
2006-01-03

What you perhaps actually mean is that WebM is a standard that is not yet endorsed by any official independent standards body.

Well, if Apple had strenuously objected, perhaps by now WebM would be a standard endorsed by W3C.

I'd expect you as a business owner with your entire product line already invested in h.264 would probably do the same.
(Let's not forget WebM wasn't an option originally)

Reply Parent Score: 2